William a



(No Mbdel.)

w. A. HOPFMATNN.

TOY.

No. 545,958. Patented Sept. 10, 1895.

PI G12.

INVENTORZ WITNESSES: mew/4M2) IVILLIAM A. HOFFMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 545,958, dated September 10, 1895.

Application filed April 4, 1895. Serial No. 544,390. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. HOFFMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys, of which the following is a specificaion.

My invention relates to the class of toys wherein an imitation of an animal or insect is operated by a spring and cord, and is made to appear to climb by the operation of the spring on its legs, the object being to afford amusement to a child.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown myinvention as illustrated by a spider arranged to apparently climb up a web, the legs of the insect in the climbing vibrating in a rapid and natural manner.

Figure 1 is a View showing the back of the climbing spider, and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the under side thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical axial section of the toy, the spring-barrel and other mechanism being in edge or side elevation. Fig. 4 illustrates a slight modification, which will be hereinafter described.

Referring to the principal views, 1 represents a frame, which may be a strip of sheet metal bent as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. On this frame is rotatively mounted a circular hollow spring-barrel 2, containing a coil=-spring 3, arranged similar to the spring of a watch-that 1s to say, the inner end of the spring is secured to the fixed stud 4, on which the barrel rotates, and the outer end of the spring is secured to said barrel. In Fig. 2 a part of the barrel is broken away to disclose the spring. About the spring-barrel 2 is wound a thread or cord 5, which is passed around a sheave 6, and thence out through a hole at 7 in the end of the frame 1. The sheave 6 is fixed on a crank-shaft 8, mounted rotatively in the frame 1, and the pin 9 of the crank engages a slot 10 in aplate 11, to which the legs 12 are attached. Usually this plate 11 will be of sheet metal and be integral with the legs. This plate is pivotally mounted at 13 on the frame 1, as best seen in Fig. 3. Now when the spring is wound up by unwinding and drawing out the thread to, say, nearly its full length, and the insect is suspended by the thread the spring will overcome the weight of the insect and wind up the thread on the spring-barrel, thus causing the insect to apparently climb by taking up the string as a spider does his web, and

to render the operation more natural in ap-v pearance the crank-pin 9 rotates rapidly and impart-s rapid lateral vibrations to the legs 12 about the pivot-point 13.

The mechanism of the insect is covered by a hollow or stamped-up body and head 14.in imitation of the body and head of a spider, for example. This bodyportion may be of any suitable material-as thin sheet metal, for exampleand it will be secured in some manner to the frame 1. To further increase the natural aspect of the toy, an imitation of a fly (15 in Fig. 1) may be secured to the string or thread at or near its outer end, so that the spider will seem to be trying to catch it.

It is not material as to the particular form of the body of the spider. It may have any desired form, and so'may the legs also, and they may be of any suitable material. Preferably the thread will make one turn around the sheave 6; but the thread may be made sim ply to partly embrace the sheave like a belt, so as to rotate it by friction as the thread is Wound up on the spring-barrel.

Fig. 4 shows a construction where there are two overlapped, slotted, and pivoted plates llfithree of the legs being on or secured to each of these plates. The crank-pin 9 engages the slots in both plates. This construction imparts, probably, a more life-like appearance to the movements of the legs; but it is more complex and expensive than that shown in the principal views.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A toy insect or animal comprising as its 7 essentials, a frame, a spring-barrel and spring mounted in the frame, a thread or cord attached to and adapted to be wound upon the spring-barrel by the unwinding of the spring, a guide on the frame through which the thread plays, a sheave about which the thread plays, said sheave being secured on a crankshaft rotatively mounted in the frame, a slotted plate pivotally mounted on the frame, the pin on the crank-shaft engaging the slot in the plate, and legs, simulating those of the insect or animal represented, attached to said sl0tted plate, substantially as set forth.

2. In a toy simulating a climbing insect or animal, the combination with the body and frame, a spring-barrel and spring connected therewith, and a slotted plate 11, pivotally mounted on the frame and carrying the legs 12, of the crank-shaft mounted in the frame, the pin of the crank engaging the slot in the plate, the sheave 6, fixed on the crank-shaft, and the thread 5, attached to and adapted to be Wound upon the spring-barrel, said thread playing about the sheave and through a guide in the frame, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the frame, body and movable legs simulating an insect or animal, of the spring-barrel and spring carried by the frame, the thread adapted to be Wound on the spring-barrel when the spring unwinds, and means, substantially as described, operated by the moving thread and adapted to impart a vibrating movement to the legs, as set forth.

4. In a toy, the combination with the device in imitation of a spider, comprising the frame, body and movable legs, of the spring-barrel and spring carried by said device, the thread adapted to be Wound upon the spring-barrel by the unwinding of the spring, the mechanism for vibrating the legs adapted to be operated by the thread, and the device 15, secured to the thread and simulating a smaller insect, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' WILLIAM A. HOFFMANN. Witnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, PETER A. Ross. 

